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A&M AD blasts basketball fans

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New men's basketball coach Mark Turgeon said in October he couldn't wait to embrace the passionate Texas A&M fan base. He's still waiting, apparently. Using every ounce of political correctness he could muster, Turgeon wondered aloud last week why A&M fans weren't flocking to Reed Arena to see the 14th-ranked Aggies. The team draws an average of 9,098 fans to the 12,500-seat facility. A&M athletic director Bill Byrne was blunt in his weekly column posted on the school's Web site on Wednesday. He blasted the fans. "I could understand why our attendance was lousy when our teams were lousy," Byrne wrote. "Aggies, we are good. And our attendance at nonconference games is not where it should be especially when you compare us to some of our opponents in similar communities like Manhattan, Kan.; Lincoln, Neb.; Ames, Iowa; and Stillwater, Okla."

Dallas Morning News

Mark Turgeon , AP Mark Turgeon , AP
December 13, 2007  09:52 AM ET

This genuinely is a mystery, given the grand and glorious tradition that is Texas A & M basketball, and sacred heritage that is college basketball in the State of Texas.

December 13, 2007  11:00 AM ET

Fans are fickled

December 13, 2007  12:10 PM ET

I thought Texas A&M and all there goofy fake Cadets were supposed to be the best and most loyal fans in the nation??? With all their hand waving and silly chants and what not, I would think they would be packing that place up. Maybe they are boycotting all sports until they get a good football coach...

December 13, 2007  12:58 PM ET

A&M could care less about a basketball game, unless it's against Texas.

December 13, 2007  02:16 PM ET

DUDE you are in TEXAS!!!!!!!! First is Football, then Football, then football, band & cheerleading (coz we need entertain at the football games) and THEN everything else

December 13, 2007  03:09 PM ET

Preach on MrMykel

December 14, 2007  12:32 AM ET

Times are tough. It cost a lot of money to sit in the cheap seats.
This is a business. How much is the coach making? How much did the arena cost? What does it cost just to buy the right to buy a decent seat? How about a $4 soft drink and a $6 hot dog? How much to park within a couple of miles of the arena? How much to join the athletic club so you can get that playoff ticket you want? How much do you have to donate when they constantly hit you up to support the school in order to be a loyal fan. How much to get that newsletter so you can bet on the team?" Come on, this is an Aggie joke, right?

December 14, 2007  12:50 AM ET

No, they are not filing it up...yet. Last year the Ags averaged about 2,000 LESS at this point. Also, last year they only averaged 800 more total than they are averaging in non-conference. The crowds will fill in for conference. This is not a great trend, but Ag basketball is still growing. IF they can be this good for 5+ years with some deep tourny runs then the crowds will overflow most games.

December 14, 2007  01:00 AM ET

considering the students have spent the last few weeks with professors cramming in tests and then finals just ended Wednesday I would say we have had other things on our minds besides basketball. When spring semester begins we will be there in force.

December 14, 2007  12:40 PM ET

the first 5 rows of the upper deck have an obstructed view because of the railing. Subtract those from the total. Plus no team, including my alma mater North Carolina packs out non-conference games against nobodys like Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Coach and AD need to be less insulting and more positive.

Sellouts don't happen overnight. How many thousands more season tickets have been sold the past two years? (answer: several) Work on making every seat a season ticket and then attendance doesn't matter. The students are plenty rowdy to make it a fun atmosphere.

December 15, 2007  05:00 PM ET

Part of the problem here is dollar bill, the athletic director. Since he came seat licenses have increased, they charge for programs and parking, and ticket prices have esculated. Add in costs for a hot dog and drink and going to a game with family can turn into an expensive venture. My wife and I have season tickets, but it is a tough decision each year to pony up the money. During the holidays, A&M creates a fire sale on men's and women's tickets. Next year we are considering dumping the season tickets and paying by the game...it will be cheaper.

December 15, 2007  09:27 PM ET

Students do sometimes have to study, and yes, A&M doesn't have wrestling like Ok State and a few other BIg 12 Uni's which is heavily supported so I supposed the AD is right......you Aggie fans suck, heh heh.

December 18, 2007  12:14 PM ET

Brad, have you thrown a rod?

Sacred heritage of college basketball in Texas?

Most people in El Paso vaguely remember hearing about UTEP upsetting Kentucky.

They damn sure don't remember UTEP being called Texas Western.

 
January 2, 2008  05:44 PM ET

I went to the Alabama A&M game back in 2004 when Antoine Wright was still around (and of course Joseph Jones and Acie Law). It's really no wonder that Reed is empty during non-conference, especially with the cupcakes that the Ags play before the new year.

So, Mr. Byrne, schedule some better opponents for your College Station games, and you'll fill your arena. Nobody cares about a 20-point drubbing of a Joe Bob State or whatever the hell -- at least not in the 4th year of Aggie basketball being worth a damn.

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